The 2024 NHL Draft is chock-full of high-end defenders as we’re likely to see plenty go off the board in the first couple rounds of the draft. The talent doesn’t stop there, however, as there are some enticing defensemen flying under the radar due to how deep the draft is at the position.
Cue Tory Pitner.
Pitner is one name that NHL clubs will likely be looking at after the dust settles on the first couple rounds. He brings the type of defensive toolkit that teams love, and he’s likely to be a target for many teams looking to add some further depth to their pipeline on defense.
“He’s a sort of throwback defender with a new-school twist,” FCHockey crossover scout Kyle Pereira said. “He plays a stout defensive game with a physical edge.”
Pitner would be a great bet as someone who could develop into a real old school, solid shutdown option for any team looking to bolster defensive depth without sacrificing a first-round pick.
WHO IS TORY PITNER?
Pitner stands at 6-foot-1 and181 pounds. He’s slightly undersized for a shutdown defender right now, but has plenty of room to add some size and strength to his frame before he reaches the pro ranks.
He’s was slotted outside the top-100 in FCHockey’s Midterm ranking for the 2024 draft, but has the potential to crack the top three rounds in Vegas in June.
TORY PITNER’S ON-ICE PRODUCTION
Pitner hails from Greenwich, Connecticut, but has played his junior hockey all over the United States.
During his D-2 season in 2021-22 Pitner played AAA hockey for the South Kent School U15 team. There, he led his team from the blue line in goals (11), assists (31), and points (42). He also donned the captaincy for South Kent.
The following year, in 2022-23, he spent time with the Selects Academy U18 AAA team as a 16-year-old. During his time with the Selects Academy, Pitner once again paced the blue-line core. His 0.56 point-per-game rate was tops on his team among defensemen despite playing with players a year older than him.
| SEASON | DRAFT REL. | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P |
| 2021-22 | D-2 | South Kent School U15 | U15 AAA | 53 | 11 | 31 | 42 |
| 2022-23 | D-1 | Selects Academy U18 | U18 AAA | 34 | 6 | 13 | 9 |
| Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 36 | 0 | 9 | 9 | ||
| 2023-24 | D+0 | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | 50 | 8 | 16 | 24 |
| Team USA | HLINKA | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ||
| Team USA | WJAC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Pitner also made his United States Hockey League debut for the Youngstown Phantoms that season, skating in 36 games and adding on nine points, all assists. He also played in nine playoff games, helping the Phantoms defeat Macklin Celebrini and the Chicago Steel in the Conference Finals en route to a Clark Cup Championship.
This season, Pitner once again represented Youngstown and experienced a solid step forward in terms of production as he settled into the league. He finished the season with 24 points (eight goals,16 assists) in 50 games. The total ranked third on his team among defenseman, but tops among 2024 draft-eligible defenders on the circuit.
Internationally, Pitner has represented team U.S.A. a couple times over the past year. He captained the American U18 team to bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup last August. He also skated for the U19 team at the World Junior A Challenge, once again winning bronze.
TORY PITNER’S STRENGTHS
The hallmark of Pitner’s game is without question his defensive ability. There’s no way around it. If he makes the NHL one day it’ll be because of his physical, shutdown style of play. Pitner loves to engage with opponents physically, often lining up big open ice hits or bullying opponents down low in individual battles.
He’ll never shy away from a physical engagement, which can make life for his opponents very hard most nights. He’ll have the opportunity to become even more of a physical presence on the ice as he continues to get older and add more size to his frame.
It’s not just physicality that makes Pitner a strong defender though.
He is incredibly smart defensively. His overall defensive awareness is very advanced for a player his age and it lets him process the game at an impressive rate. He’s the type of blueliner who always tends to be in the right spot to break up a pass or cut off an opponent’s lane.
There’s unpredictability in his game, too, which adds a layer to his defense. Pitner, at times, is able to fake out an offensive player by making them think he’s going to do one thing defensively only to switch it up at the last moment and catch them off guard.
When he does win the puck back, he’s able to move it up the ice and distribute it at an above-average rate, making him more than just a one-trick pony. In other words he’s not just a brute force defender.
“He adds a ‘new school’ element with his strong IQ and puck moving ability,” Pereira said.
Any good defensive defenceman in the NHL is able to direct opposing players where they want them to go, and Pitner does that extremely well. Even against the most skilled forwards he’s able to maintain strong body positioning and force them to the outside. One of the reasons for that is because he possesses a very active stick that he uses to maintain strong gap control on the rush, forcing opposing players to dump the puck in.
“He defends the rush exceptionally well and is a pain for opponents with how physical he can be.” Pereira said.
Pitner isn’t the type of player who is going to be making flashy plays from the back end, though. Instead he flies under the radar as a dependable and safe player — and that’s sure to be a trait that NHL coaches will love.
TORY PITNER’S AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT
The biggest drawback in Pitner’s game is his lack of impact outside of defending. As good as he is defensively, he struggles, at times, to have much of an impact in the transition or inside the offensive zone. In lower level leagues this typically isn’t an issue, and he’s shown that with past productivity, but once he gets to the pro ranks it may prevent him from becoming a full time NHL player.
It’s not as though Pitner is unable to contribute in other ways, he just typically shies away from those parts of a game to stick to what he knows best. Again, in lower level league’s this isn’t an issue, but in the NHL you need to be able to contribute in all three zones to become a full-time player. Over the next couple seasons Pitner will need to work on leaving his comfort zone sometimes to become a more well-rounded defenseman.
“For as good as he can be with his puck-moving, he doesn’t involve himself enough in that area or on the offensive side of things to boost his potential, so adding more risk to his game could go a long way.” Pereira said
Another facet of Pitner’s game that needs improvement is his overall decision making. Physicality is a huge aspect of his game and is a big part of what makes him an effective player, but at times Pitner will overcommit to make a big hit which can get him into trouble. He’ll have to learn how to reel it in sometimes as mistakes like that will not go unpunished in the NHL.
That said, teams would rather try to teach a defenseman to better pick his spots than try to coax that type of physically out of a less physical rearguard.
TORY PITNER’S OUTLOOK
Pitner is an intriguing prospect, no doubt. He isn’t a player who will jump right into the NHL in the next season or two as he’ll likely need several years to fine tune his game at the college and American Hockey League level before he’s ready to step into the NHL.
The good news is the raw talent and ability is there to be an NHL player one day.
Pitner has committed to the defending NCAA champions at the University of Denver for the 2024-25 season, which should be a great opportunity for him to work on his game against better competition. If he can continue to improve on the decision-making elements in his game and involve himself more in transition play, he has the tools to become an effective bottom pairing defender down the line because of how good he is at defending.
It’s now up to Pitner to continue to work on his game to ensure he becomes a more well-rounded defender.
The base, and potential, is there for the 18-year-old to blossom into a gem without the first-round price tag.